Written by Kat Robinson, Image courtesy of Yeyo's Mezcaleria y Taqueria

The Ultimate Arkansas Dining Guide 2026

By: The Local Palate

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Best Chef: Jamie McAfee

Pleasant Valley Country Club, Chef’s Table by Jamie, Little Rock

Jamie McAfee brings Lower Delta spice, a cornucopia of world flavors, and countless Arkansas-sourced products to create fantastic takes on regional dishes. By day, the second-generation chef demonstrates at the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute; afternoons, he brings flavors to the masses at Chef ’s Table by Jamie; evenings, he delights connoisseurs with striking presentations of edible delights. With five decades of experience, McAfee easily justifies his Arkansas Food Hall of Fame status.

Jamie McAfee’s Recommendations:

Breakfast: Big Dad Breakfast

I love that they try new things. They just got it down, what a generational breakfast spot should be They do biscuits and bowls.

Lunch: Samantha’s Tap Room & Wood Grill

Good, consistent food: The salmon with the sunflower seeds, I’m going to eat that. Their good hamburger, I’ll eat that too.

Dinner: Cache Restaurant

Payne [Harding, the executive chef] and Jo Jo [Sims, one of the restaurant’s most well-known waiters] are going to take care of you. The service is good, friendly and inviting, spartan that speaks to upscale but elegant, and just great food.

Drinks: Capital Bar and Grill

When my wife and I go out, we go here for whatever they have with Pret 75, or an espresso, or bourbon on the rocks—it’s always elegant and peaceful.

Pleasant Valley Country Club in Arkansas food dish — Pleasant Valley Country Club

Best Beverage Pro: Thomas Williams

Delta Dirt Distillery, Helena

Thomas Williams Delta Distillery Arkansas — Image courtesy of Will Newton

This wizard continuously conjures lightning in a bottle, working his fifth-generation family farm’s sweet potato crop into gin, vodka, and a magical distilled bourbon-inspired substance called Arkansas Brown. Thomas Williams showcases his spellbinding talents behind the bar on weekend nights, crafting devilish delights of renown and reputation, shots and glasses of surprising variety combining house spirits with local fruit, syrups, and sauces in startling ways.

Thomas Williams’ Current Favorites:

ARKANSAS PRODUCT

I love sourcing Arkansas- made syrups. Pink House Alchemy [of Fayetteville] and Siloam Syrups [of Siloam Springs] make theirs with all Arkansas-based ingredients. I like sourcing as many of their products as I can. I also use Lost 40 Beer [a Little Rock product]—three of our four beers on tap are from them. We’re here to amplify each other.

BEVERAGE TREND

Local sourcing. I find these high-end craft cocktail bars that want the stuff that comes from our community. You can have some of the highest- quality cocktails in the country made here in Arkansas, right in our own neighborhood.

DRINK SOMEWHERE ELSE

I like Heights Taco and Tamale, and my favorite drink there is the Delta Mule, with honey-suckle vodka and ginger beer.

The Best of Arkansas

Best New Restaurant: The Springhouse, Yellville

Chef Jennifer Russell uses her restaurant’s rustic setting, a stone’s throw from the Buffalo National River, as a palette for blending together traditional flavors with the brush of artisan delights, like chicken breast rubbed with local herbs and honey and an array of dishes utilizing wild-harvested mushrooms.

Best Carnivore Dining: Tusk and Trotter, Bentonville

This porcine palace erected in Sam Walton’s old office by founding chef Rob Nelson delivers one of the deepest benches of Arkansas food products from a 100-mile span. Charcuterie boards loaded with house-cured and smoked meats, pig-ear nachos, even a catfish pastrami Reuben showcase all creatures great and small. And all pair well with their renowned bloody mary flight.

Tusk and Trotter dessert dish — Tusk and Trotter

Best All-Night Diner: Benson’s Grill, Fort Smith

Arkansas’ version of the one in the famed The Nighthawks painting by Edward Hopper finds its long bar and lacquered booth tops inhabited by folks attempting to conquer acts of culinary audacity like the Mount Chilimanjaro chili cheeseburger and the G.O.T.cha (Gravy On Top) Breakfast, delivered with superlative coffee.

Best Pizza: Steffey’s Pizza, Lavaca

In a state obsessed with pies both savory and sweet, the Steffey family delivers with a crisp, signature crust and hearty amounts of toppings, then blows up everything else with its Uncle Roman, a double-crust cornmeal-dusted giant for eight where a single slice is a more-than- ample dinner.

Best Catfish Plate: Wood’s Place, Camden

The state’s signature plate of catfish, hushpuppies, fried potatoes, brown beans, white onion, lemon, and green tomato relish is best represented at this Lower Arkansas restaurant, where the bread is fresh and homemade and the Grapette—a local creation and favorite soda—is always available.

Best Restaurant You Might Not Remember the Next Day: Yeyo’s Mezcaleria y Taqueria, Rogers

James Beard Award-nominated chef Rafael Rios is best known for his delightful Mexican- by-Ozark farm dishes, but it is the sheer weight and span of his excellent, hand-chosen mezcals and tequilas that will seal the deal on a truly remarkable culinary experience.

Best Barbecue: Ridgewood Brothers BBQ, Russelville

Childhood friends Robert Couser and Grant Hall reunited to assemble a key team, legions of handmade smokers, and a ton of expertise. Whether it’s their lean or fatty brisket, handmade sausages, ribs, poultry, or even the eatery’s famed jalapeño cheese rice grits, this pair keeps knocking it out of the park.

Best Culinary Hotel: The Burgundy Hotel, Little Rock

Crossing quaint, humble standards with higher-end delicacies at Table 28 is chef Scott Rains’ special talent, evidenced with creations like his distinctive quail gumbo and pairings such as Ibérico pork chops with collard greens and rich macaroni and cheese.